Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Juan Carlos: Spain's ex-king appeals in row with former lover

Juan Carlos: Spain's ex-king appeals in row with former lover

Spain's former King Juan Carlos is seeking legal immunity in a UK appeals court over harassment claims brought by his ex-mistress.

The hearing in London follows fresh allegations about his conduct by British resident Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein in a new podcast.

She accuses the ex-king of spying on and harassing her after their relationship broke down in 2012.

The former king, who abdicated in 2014, denies any wrongdoing.

Juan Carlos, who lives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), did not attend the hearing - and a ruling is expected in several weeks.

He is appealing against a High Court decision in March, which rejected his claim that English courts had no jurisdiction over the case because he has state immunity as a royal.

"Whatever special status the defendant retained under the law and constitution of Spain, he was no longer a 'sovereign' or 'head of state' so as to entitle him to personal immunity," High Court judge Matthew Nicklin said at the time.

The former king was allowed to challenge part of that ruling. His lawyers are now making their case for immunity at the Court of Appeal in London for the period before he abdicated in 2014, when he was succeeded by his son Felipe VI.


'Bags of cash'


Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, a German-born businesswoman who lives in England, filed the harassment case in 2020.

She said the 84-year-old former king, who is married, had caused her "great mental pain" as a result of "a continuous and ongoing campaign of harassment" against her after their relationship ended.

Juan Carlos (centre), alongside his estranged wife Queen Sofia, attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London in September


She is seeking damages over claims he pressured her to return gifts worth €65m (£56m; $65m), as well as allegations of break-ins and intimidation.

She said it began after the relationship broke down following the couple's notorious hunting trip to Botswana in 2012. The then king broke his hip and had to be flown home, sparking public anger amid a financial crisis and record unemployment figures in Spain.

Juan Carlos was credited with overseeing Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy in 1975. But he abdicated the throne in 2014 following a series of scandals involving his family, including a corruption investigation involving his daughter's husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who was later jailed.

The former king has spent more than two years in self-imposed exile in the UAE, after leaving Spain over allegations of fraud which were eventually dropped. A Swiss investigation into a multi-million dollar payment from Saudi Arabia was closed because of insufficient evidence.

The legal case resumes as new details emerge of the relationship between Spain's former monarch and his ex-lover in a podcast called Corinna and the King.

In it, Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 57, speaks openly about the corruption allegations surrounding Juan Carlos when he was still king, saying he presided over a "court of miracles".

She alleges he would return from trips "happy as a five-year-old and there would be bags full of cash", which she alleges was "a very habitual situation".

She also recalls a story of him calling up the owner of "a great chateau of Bordeaux wines" asking for some to be sent, and "the next thing you know, 20 cases of this priceless wine would arrive".

"His wish was everyone's command, and people were literally falling over backwards just to please him," she adds.

He returned to Spain earlier this year to visit his family, and attended Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London in September, alongside his estranged wife Queen Sofia.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×